Method of making a wheel



May 23, 1939. c. w. SINCLAIR METHOD OF MAKING A WHEEL Original FiledFeb. 23, 1932 FIG.3.

INVENTOR .CHARLES w. SINCLAIR m Ma 1 ATTORNEYS Patented May 23, 1939PATENT- OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING A WHEEL Charles W. Sinclair, Detroit,Mich, assignor to I Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company, Detroit, Mich., acorporation. of Delaware Original application February 23, 1932, SerialNo. 594,685, now Patent No. 2,120,631, dated June 14, 1938. Divided andthis application July 26, 1937, Serial No. 155,802

4 Claims.

The invention relates to methods of making wheels and refers moreparticularly to methods of making wheels of the artillerytype adaptedfor use particularly with motor vehicles.-

The invention has for one of its objects to provide an improved methodof construction of artillery type wheel which may be economicallycarried out. The invention has for other objects to provide a method of,making a wheel that may be demounted from the inner hub; and to providea method of making a wheel that is formed in one piece.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary frontelevation of a wheelshowing an embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 2-'-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing another embodiment of myinvention. f

The wheel embodying my invention is a demountable sheet metal wheel ofthe artillery type and comprises the sheet metal wheel body I and therim member 2, the wheel bodybelng formed of the outer hub member 3 andthe spokes 4 integral therewith. The outer hub member has the peripheralannular portion 5 and the inwardly extending mounting portion 6; whichlatter extends radially inwardly from the rear or inboard edge of theannular portion. The mounting portion is in the nature of an internalannular flange and it is preferably reinforced by means of the radiallyextending ribs 'l' i hich merge into the annular portion betweenadjacent spokes. The mounting portion is provided with the annularseries of driving projections 8 which are tapered and extend rearwardlyor in an inboard direction and which are adapted when the wheel ismounted upon the inner hub member 9 to engage the tapered recesses IIIin the fixed flange I l of the inner hub member. For detachably securingthe wheel to the inner hub member, suitable securing members, such asthe bolts I2 extending through the driving projections and the nuts I3threaded upon the bolts are provided. The outer hub member also has theflange 14 which extends radially inwardly from the front or outboardedge of the annular portion and which terminates in a zone radiallyoutwardly of the securing nuts 9. suiiicient distance to provide forready accessibility thereto. With this construction it will be notedthat the nuts are enclosed within the outer hub member and at the sametime are readily accessible. The spokes 4 are tubular and extendradially outwardly from the annular portion 5 and have their rootsmerging thereinto. The annular portion is of relatively great diameterand the spokes are relatively short. Furthermore, the walls of thespokes are seamless and preferably progressively decrease in thicknessfrom their inner to their outer ends. The rim member 2 is a metal tirecarrying rim of the drop-center type having the base of its well mountedupon and fixedly secured to the outer ends of the spokes as by welding.

The wheel body comprising the outer hub member 3 and the spokes 4integral therewith are formed from a single sheet metal disc-like blankin suitable apparatus which is designed to first press the blank tosubstantially cup-shape, to then flange the peripheral annular portionof the cup-shaped blank, and to then draw the metal from the peripheralannular portion of the cup-shaped blank radially outwardly to producethe spokes. During the first step, the perimeter of the disc-like blankis laterally bent out of the plane of the blank to thereby produce ablank .having a peripheral annular portion and a radial portion at oneedge of and extending inwardly from the annular portion. During thesecond step, the free edge of the peripheral annular portion of thecup-shaped blank is bent radially inwardly to form a flange. During thethird step, the under or inner side of the peripheral annular portion isacted upon in a direction substantially normal to the annular portion topress out the spokes in a radially outward direction. A force opposed tothe radially outwardly acting force is exerted against the upper orouter side of the peripheral annular portion other than that from whichthe spokes emerge to produce the desired shape of peripheral annularportion. These spokes are cup-shaped and seamless and have integralouter ends closing the same, the outer ends being removed after theformation of the cup-shaped spokes to produce the wheel shown in Figures1 and 2.

The modification illustrated in Figure 3 differs essentially from thatillustrated in Figures 1 and 2 in that the spokes 15 which correspond tothe spokes 4 of Figures 1 and 2 have the integral outer closed ends l6and these closed ends are suitably secured to the rim member H as bywelding or riveting. The method of forming the wheel body having thesespokes is the same as that above described with reference to Figures 1and 2, with the exception that the closed ends are not removed.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No.594,685, filed February 23, 1932 (now Patent No. 2,120,631, granted June14, 1933).

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The method of making an artillery vehicle wheel body, which comprisespressing adisc like blank to substantially cup form, flanging said blankand pressing cup-shaped spoke bodies radi-l ally therefrom by oppositelyacting radial forces.

2. The method of making an artillery vehicle wheel body, which comprisespressing a sheet metal member to substantially cup shap'e, flanging saidmember and by oppositely applied forces 1 pressing said flanged memberinto spider iormation having closed end seamless spokes.

3. The method of making an artillery wheel,-

iportion and a radial portion at one edge of and extending inwardly fromthe peripheral portion, pressing substantially normally to theperipheral portion from the under or inner side thereof to form seamlesstubular spokes, and securing a rim memberupon outer ends of the spokesin radially outwardly spaced relation to the peripheral por- CHARLES W.SINCLAIR.

which comprises laterally bending over the a

